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Clever Quotes

Lines that admire quick thinking and inventive minds.

Cleverness shows up in a sibling who worked out the family's puzzles first, in songwriters who favor sharp lyrics, and in teammates who find ways around a defense without breaking the rules. This page rounds up quotes about that kind of quick, inventive thinking. For related pages see Clever People.

When you argue with your inferiors, you convince them of only one thing: they are as clever as you.

Quotes by Irving Layton

There was Pauline de Rothschild, who I thought was very fabulous, and Millicent Rogers, the Standard Oil heiress, very chic, very clever, very original. I admired both those women very much. And I had a great example with my mother,...

Quotes by Iris Apfel

Buying a matching blouse and skirt from the same store is a crime. A clever mix of chic and cheap hits the jackpot. Know how to mix styles and labels.

Quotes by Ines de La Fressange

The stability of what's called the Standard Model of particle physics and its ability to make so many clever predictions with immense precision suggests that we may just be stuck with it, and there may never be an overthrow of...

Quotes by Ian Hacking

When I was growing up, to be an emcee meant to write the most clever, intellectual, and wittiest rap. And that's what we did.

Quotes by Gza

Against the beautiful and the clever and the successful, one can wage a pitiless war, but not against the unattractive: then the millstone weighs on the breast.

Quotes by Graham Greene

TV - a clever contraction derived from the words Terrible Vaudeville. However, it is our latest medium - we call it a medium because nothing's well done.

Quotes by Goodman Ace

To be clever enough to get all that money, one must be stupid enough to want it.

Quotes by Gilbert K. Chesterton

You don't have to be too clever to know that if Barcelona loaned me to another team, it's because they have little interest in me.

Quotes by Gerard Deulofeu

There is no essential difference between the material of comedy and tragedy. All depends on the point of view of the dramatist, which, by clever emphasis, he tries to make the point of view of his audience.

Quotes by George Pierce Baker

We are obliged to regard many of our original minds as crazy at least until we have become as clever as they are.

Quotes by Georg C. Lichtenberg

Advisers who think that they are very clever while all around them are a bit thick, and that all the problems of the world would be solved if the thick listened to the clever, are liable to be disappointed.

Quotes by Geoff Mulgan

No, ancient astronauts did not build the pyramids - human beings built them, because they're clever and they work hard.

Quotes by Gene Roddenberry

Modeling is not something you excel because you are clever but is based on physical appearance, but then you have to be a businesswoman, like, to keep your longevity.

Quotes by Gelila Bekele

Foursquare's adoption of a game dynamic when it launched is a particularly clever implementation of a social hook.

Quotes by Fred Wilson

The differences between the top teams in Euro 2000 are so minimal that I think you have to be very clever in defence and stop your opponents getting opportunities.

Quotes by Frank Rijkaard

I like my villains clever, deep, and driven by pure evil.

Quotes by Fiona Barton

I made it to Oxford, but it is not that I am particularly clever, much more that I am a worker bee.

Quotes by Emilia Fox

I would never create an image for myself; I'm not that clever.

Quotes by Ellie Goulding

To be clever in argument is not rationality but rationalization.

Quotes by Eliezer Yudkowsky

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Frequently Asked Questions

What ties these clever quotes together?
This set treats cleverness as something practical rather than abstract — a sibling who's "probably more clever" while the speaker leans on hard work instead, an appreciation for clever song lyrics, and a playful, riddle-like verse about a cat that "eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited breath." It's less about IQ and more about quick, resourceful thinking. See Cleverness quotes for the trait explored on its own.
Why do people look up clever quotes?
Readers usually want a line to caption something witty they noticed, or to admire someone else's quick thinking rather than their own. The playful cat verse in this collection is a good example of clever being used for pure wordplay rather than a serious life lesson.
Is this collection only about being naturally gifted?
No — one quote openly admits the speaker wasn't "the brightest" and that an older sister was likely more clever, crediting hard work instead. It's a useful reminder that this page isn't only celebrating natural wit; effort gets equal billing.
Does clever only apply to words and ideas here?
Not at all. One quote uses it for basketball teammates who cleverly created open shots by working the ball through traffic and avoiding fouls, showing the word stretching from wordplay to on-court strategy.
Where can I find related pages?
For lines about individuals celebrated for their sharpness, try Clever People or Cleverest; if you want the emphasis on raw brainpower instead of wit, Intelligent and Smart quotes cover related ground.

Whether it is a playful line about a scheming cat or praise for hard-won wit, these quotes treat clever thinking as worth noticing. Continue on to Cleverness or check Cleverest quotes for more.